Appalachian Center For Economic Networks

Happy November! Our artisan and food clients have been gearing up for the holidays. Follow us on facebook to stay informed about opportunities to shop locally this holiday season.

Local Food Promotion Grant Award

We are pleased to announce that the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks, Inc. received a $60,718 award through the USDA Local Food Promotion Program. The funding will provide additional support to serve low and moderate income family farmers and value-added food entrepreneurs in Athens, Licking, Perry, Morgan, Vinton and Meigs counties to meet the demand for local foods from restaurants and institutional buyers. The project will be managed by ACEnet staff operating in the cities of Athens and Nelsonville where ACEnet food hubs are located. ACEnet will partner with the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Real Food-Real Local Institute and Rural Action to provide training to buyers and sellers participating in the Perry and Licking County 30 Mile Meal brand programs.

The Local Food Promotion Program funding was made possible through the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America.

Information on upcoming workshops, webinars and the 2015 Real Food Real Local Conference will be featured in our future e-newsletters, website and social media pages.

Applesauce to help feed Southeast Ohio

We had some fine folks from the Jackson Area Ministries in our thermal processing room this month for a day of apple processing. ACEnet donated kitchen time and staff hours to assist with food prep, thermal processing, and clean up as well as providing training on using processing equipment to create value-added products. The boxes of apples were turned into apple sauce to be distributed through food pantries to serve people in need in the Appalachian counties of Southeast Ohio. Our VISTA Meggan Riley captured some pictures from start to finish of the apple processing.

USDA Launches Four National Search Engines for Locating Local Food opportunities

The Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA has recently Launched four On-line local food directories to help searchers locate local food opportunities across the country.

Search engines will help users access local food components considered by the USDA to be the four key pillars instrumental in revising rural economies and improving access to fresh, healthy food for millions of Americans.

The Four USDA Directories will give potential costumers an on-line mechanism for locating CSAs, Farmers Markets, Food Hubs, and On-Farm Markets by zip code creating easy, one-stop access to the most current information about sources of local foods. Our region is rich in markets CSA's and local food opportunities!

Visit The USDA Blog to learn more about the launch, type in your zip code, and enjoy learning about the bounty of local food that surrounds the Southeast Ohio Region.

How Conscientious is Your Small Business?

New Tools for Measuring Business Impact

Every business has an impact on their surrounding community. We are fortunate in Athens County to have several business owners with a deep commitment to making that impact positive. These businesses have made a conscious decision to contribute to the community and reduce their negative effects on the community, by utilizing responsible business practices.

To facilitate the process of businesses assessing their 'consciousness', a collaboration between the non-profit Conscious Capitalism, B Lab, and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), has developed a tool called the B Impact Assessment. The tool is designed to give business owners both a baseline assessment of their current social and environmental performance, as well as supplying tools to improve business practices.

The B Impact Assessment grades a company on 17 categories of social and environmental topics. Questions range from whether the company pays above a living wage to whether the company sources its products from women- or minority-owned businesses.

Business owners then have the ability to compare their score to thousands of other businesses who have also completed the B Impact Assessment.

Read More

ACEnet provides Easement for City Bike Path Expansion Spur

Last summer ACEnet began collaborating with the Athens City to provide an easement for the Columbus Rd Bike Path Spur. We are excited to hear the progress updates on the project.

With the announcement of a grant award from the Clean Ohio Trails Fund the city of Athens plans to move forward with construction of the Columbus Road bike path spur in 2015. The city was recently awarded $500,000 from the trails fund for the $1,425,000 project, which will connect Columbus Road (near the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks) to the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway near the railroad tracks. The project will include constructing a new bridge across the Hocking River.

In August 2012, the city received $735,000 from the Transportation Alternative Program Fund - federal funds administered through the Ohio Department of Transportation - for construction of the bike path spur. The project design is now completed. Andy Stone, director of the city's department of engineering, said the city will need to contribute approximately $190,000 to fully fund the endeavor.

Athens City Project Manager, Jessica Adine, says the city hopes to bid the project in December -January with construction on the addition is slated to begin in 2015.

We are excited to have the bike path come to our back yard and help the city become more accessible to bikers.

Upcoming Events!

Our calendars are filling up with events and trainings offered by us and our partners. We hope to see you there!

Savvy Shopping on The Cheap!

November 10th 5:00-5:30 Nelsonville Public Library

Bring coupons to swap, a favorite holiday recipe to share, or just yourself. Enjoy great snacks, door prizes, and conversation about cheaper ways to eat healthy and how to navigate confusing nutrition labels.

Nelsonville Farmers Market Informational Meeting

November 10th 6:00 Nelsonville Public Library

Interested in learning more about the Nelsonville Farmers Market? Stay after the Savvy Shopper workshop or come in at 6 to learn more about the offerings of the Farmers Market.

Savvy Shopping on the Cheap!

November 12th 2:30 -3:00 Chauncy Library

Green Edge Gardens Season Creation Workshop

November 13 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

This program highlights the successes and skills of Green Edge owners Kip and Becky Rondy as well as the highly qualified and innovative staff that they have assembled. Attendees have the opportunity to learn about techniques to extend the growing season using energy efficient methods such as passive solar hoop house construction. For more information and registration visit The Ohio Foodshed

Startup Weekend Athens

November 14-16

Attention all those folks who have an idea for a business of ANY kind!!! The Innovation Center, based at Ohio University, is hosting a startup weekend. Participants create working start-ups during the event, collaborate with like-minded individuals, and receive expert coaching outside of their daily networks. For more information visit Startup Weekend Athens

Santa Train:

Nov 29, Nov 30,

Dec 7, Dec 13, Dec 14, Dec 20, Dec 21,

11:00 AM departure

Take part in an annual Christmas tradition in the Hocking River Valley that families have enjoyed for 40 years. As the train departs, Santa begins his journey through the train of heated coaches and visits with each child, hearing their special requests for Christmas. Make sure to visit the Nelsonville Square before leaving town. For more information or ticket purchases visit

the Hocking Valley Railway.

Sincerely,
Myra Morrison
ACEnet 94 Columbus Rd

Athens, OH 45701

94 Columbus Rd, Athens, OH 45701

740-592-3854